VisaMapper helps you check visa requirements of the countries you want to visit

Sometimes the best websites are the ones that solve a real problem and provide real value to its visitors.



If you are a frequent traveller, most likely you have faced this problem before, I know I have, wondering if I need a Visa to visit a country. To solve this, Reddit user udit99 created a website called VisaMapper.



Visitors simply select their nationality from a drop-down menu and instantly see, on a color-coded world map, which countries require a visa for them to visit and which don’t.



Read more: VisaMapper helps you check visa requirements of the countries you want to visit | Vulcan PostVulcan Post

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Anime-themed wooden wishing plaques adorn Kanda Myoujin shrine on New Year's day

Wooden wishing plaques or Ema are a New Year’s day staple in Japan. They are a shinto custom and can be found in every Shinto shrine in the country. With the new year already upon us, fans flocked to shrines and posted pictures of various emas.

One such example is the Kanda Myoujin shrine in Chiyoda where various anime-themed emas or ita-emas were offered. Here’s a general view of them as tweeted by*runae_md

Here’s a Love Live! Ema tweeted by*AZU_MOE

Here’s Love Live!’s Nico as tweeted by*uminohaine

Kantai Collection was quite prominent at the shrine as well. Here’s Kongou (image by*earlbox)

Shimakaze (image by*KitaharaTomoe) Shimakaze (image by*kaztsu) Naka (image by*hujimaru_arikui)

Here’s a K-On! Ema tweeted by*genping02

Here’s some emas featuring the grown-up Nanoha (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) and Azumi Kagamihara (Z / X: Ignition) tweeted by*fujimatakuya

This one is tweeted by*RYUKNIGHT

Well-known manga artists also offered their own artistic emas to the shrine. Here’s adult manga artist Eru Shindou’s New Year’s Ema. Shindou is known for many adult mangas like TSF Monogatari. (image tweeted by*itaru_414)

Read more about your favorite*anime*here on SGCafe!

Also join in on the community’s discussions at*http://forums.sgcafe.com

Source: esuteru



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Snapchat security breach exposes more than 4.6 million users

A recent security breach has hit 4.6 million Snapchat users, after at least one previous warning of security holes in the company’s computer network.

*

Online chat service Snapchat has suffered a security breach that led to the public disclosure of 4.6 million usernames and attached phone numbers. The hackers didn’t publish the last two digits of each phone number, providing a layer of privacy protection for the compromised users.

In late December, researchers published Snapchat code that made it possible to match up phone numbers to individual Snapchat accounts.* The company was too slow to respond to security issues, and that is when the SnapchatDB hackers took matters into their own hands.

A Snapchat hack lookup solution made by Gibson Security is now available and searches the database by username.



The information was initially posted on SnapchatDB.info, and usernames and phone numbers were publicly listed.* Even accounts designated as “private” were exposed using an exploit that has now been patched – and is a painful message Snapchat must discuss with users.

“Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue, and also put public pressure on Snapchat to get this exploit fixed,” a message on SnapchatDB.info proclaims.* “It is understandable that tech startups have limited resources but security and privacy should not be a secondary goal. Security matters as much as user experience does.”

The website has been temporarily removed, but the userbase has been widely mirrored and shared across the world.

User information including full names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, and banking/credit information is routinely stolen and shared online.* U.S. retailer Target had the debit account and pin number information along with credit card numbers of 40 million customers stolen, while the black market for compromised information drastically increases.

Source: DailyTech



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NPD: 25% of smartphone owners don’t use a case

Get cases on those smartphones, folks!

Quote:

Android users tend to not be worried about dropping and damaging the device, while iPhone owners don’t like adding bulk to their smartphones. “The mobile phone protection market now includes a variety of brands, features, and price points that appeal to nearly any type of smartphone owner,” noted Ben Arnold, NPD Executive Director, in a statement. “However, there is still good portion of the consumer market not using them and in an effort to appeal to that segments we could begin to see a focus in the market on ultra slim case form factors and materials that both protect and maintain the phone’s design integrity.”

Full thoughts available here.

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Apple claims it didn't work with NSA on alleged iPhone backdoor

The company released a statement saying it has never worked with the National Security Agency on backdoors for any of its products.

Last year a huge cache of documents implicating the NSA in widespread electronic spying were leaked online. Since then there has been heated debate online privacy and the methods at the agency’s disposal which have largely remained unknown. Earlier in the week a NSA “catalog” was leaked which revealed that it had backdoors into products made by a lot of major technology companies such as Cisco, Samsung, Juniper Networks, Huawei and more. Another leaked document pointed to an NSA program called*DROPOUTJEEP which allows backdoor access to the iPhone.

The leaked documents described DROPOUTJEEP as software which can be installed on an iPhone to obtain SIGINT or signal intelligence. People running the program would then be able to push and pull files from the device, extract contact lists, emails and messages, find out its location and even turn on its microphone and camera. All this can apparently be down over a wireless data connection.*Apple says that it hasn’t worked with the agency to create a backdoor in any of its products, including the iPhone. It also claims to be “unaware” of this alleged NSA program that is said to be targeting its popular smartphone. Furthermore the company says that it will continue to use its resources to defend its customers from attacks, “regardless of who’s behind them.”

Last year’s electronic spying allegations have certainly caught the world’s attention as they target some of the most popular companies around the world. Rest assured, it will certainly be a story that the world will follow well into 2014.*Apple’s name previously popped up in the PRISM program documents leaked by Edward Snowden. Despite these allegations, most companies have outright denied collaborating with the NSA.

Source: AllThingsD

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The five most disappointing anime in 2013

Some anime came in low under the radar with not a lot of hype but when they finally aired, they blew everyone away. One good example would be Attack on Titan which did not come in with a lot of hype but ended up becoming 2013′s most talked about anime.

But there were also anime that came in with a ton of hype only to disappoint when the anime was finally broadcast.

We take a look at five of 2013′s most disappointing anime series — the ones that did not quite make people as excited as they were meant to be.

IS: Infinite Stratos 2

IS2 came in with plenty of hype by riding the wave of success it enjoyed with the first season. Unfortunately, the hype train was stopped as soon as the highly anticipated second season finally aired.The anime itself was bland and did not have anything new to offer besides the amped up fan service scenes. The action scenes became boring and the series seemed to have lost touch with the audience. In general, the entire season seemed to focus more on the fan service rather than the actual story.Ichika is the same as ever and the lovable characters did not have any character development at all. The girls were presented as nothing more than eye candy which made the series even duller. Hopefully, if a season 3 does come along, they would correct these mistakes as IS: Infinite Stratos still remains one of the most popular anime series out there.Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Senran Kagura

This anime may not have come in with as much hype as IS2 or the others in our list, but like IS2, this anime focused mainly on the fan service rather than the actual plot.Senran Kagura is the anime adaptation of MarvelousAQL and developer Tamsoft’s action game and is really known for its copious amounts of clothing damage and fan service.*The game is actually very popular in Japan but the anime disappointed many fans who expected a lot more.Fan service is nice but we need a good story for an anime to be truly successful. The characters are bland and cliche and the story was truly predictable. The only saving grace this anime has is the fact that the fighting scenes are actually quite okay.Where to watch: Funimation

Phi Brain: Puzzle of God season 3

Phi Brain was originally about using your brain and solving puzzles. Imagine the disappointment most fans got when the anime turned into your regular shounen fighting series instead of the smart, intricate and complex series most of them expected.The first two seasons were full of unexpected twists and turns, but the third season unfortunately became dull and predictable just like most mainstream shounen series and for that, Phi Brain’s third season makes it to our list.Where to watch: Crunchyroll

RDG: Red Data Girl

When the Spring anime season came in, we over here at SGCafe delivered our picks for the dark horses coming in to that season. One exceeded all expectations while the other was left far behind in the dust. One series is Attack on Titan, the other is RDG: Red Data Girl.RDG provided excellent animation and a beautiful setting, however, the whole series itself was quite draggy and many have become confused as to what exactly is happening in this anime’s story.The 2013 Spring anime season introduced a lot of great anime like Attack on Titan, Oregairu and Hataraku Maou-sama!, but RDG just did not make it to that season’s greats. Overall, the anime is confusing and quite boring but it does have some great things about it like its beautiful music and animation.Where to watch: Funimation

Blazblue: Alter Memory

OK, where do I even begin with this one?The Blazblue fighting game series offered an array of unique characters and an engaging storyline. The video games have garnered fans all across the globe and when the anime was finally announced, there was much rejoicing. The anime came in with a lot of hype just like IS2 but then disappointed everyone once it aired.The first episode itself was quite confusing if you’re not familiar with the game and the anime itself contained one plot hole after another. If you haven’t played the games on story mode, you will get confused as to what is really happening. These plot holes are answered by the games’ story mode, but average anime fans who have never even played the game wouldn’t know that.When the Continuum Shift Extend game ended, it made me look forward to playing Chrono Phantasma.When the Alter Memory anime ended, I was left asking the question “what just happened?”.Where to watch: Funimation2013 also contained other disappointments such as*OreImo’s controversial ending as well as Valvrave the Liberator’s ending which did not please a lot of fans. The two anime series were quite good overall so they did not make it to our most disappointing list.Do you agree with our picks for 2013′s biggest disappointments? You can also check out our picks for 2013′s most underrated anime through this link:*http://sgcafe.com/2013/12/five-underrated-anime-2013/

Read more about your favorite*anime*here on SGCafe!

Also join in on the community’s discussions at*http://forums.sgcafe.com

Thanks to my friend Satomi for the help and a happy new year to all!



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Repairing 2013 Apple Mac Pro won't be too difficult

It has been found that the late 2013 Apple Mac Pro is actually quite easy to repair.

Apple makes some of the most popular products, its notebooks, tablets and smartphones are recognized around the world. The company is also known for making these devices extremely hard to repair, a task that an average joe who knows his way around a screwdriver probably won’t be able to do. Its an entirely different case with the new Mac Pro, as the folks at iFixit demonstrate, in fact they give it an 8 out of 10 on the repairability scale, with 10 being the easiest to repair.

They believe that the design of this computer resembles an aluminium soda can more than it does a trash can, as many have pointed out on the internet. Removing the outer casing is actually very easy, just one slide of the lock switch and its free, exposing the first layer of components. The RAM modules can be easily accessed so users will be able to upgrade them to 64GB, which is the highest you can go, quite easily. Its almost as easy to take out the SDD, requires just a turn of the screwdriver, exposing the flash controller and flash storage underneath. Going beyond the graphics card, which is secured by four screws and a clamp, one can find that the I/O port, logic board and the dual graphics cards are all connected to one single “daughter board” shaped like a disc. The power supply is wedged between the logic board and the I/O board and is said to be a little hard to remove. Digging through these components will take users to the CPU, which is already known to be removable.

iFixit performed its teardown on a $3,000 stock configuration Mac Pro, and while it says that the computer is easy to disassemble, it mentions that there are some proprietary new connectors and fairly tight cable routing that might confuse people going into the depths of their Mac Pro, which is why they should invest in a repair manual before taking the Mac Pro apart.

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